


Tacit Promises

by Precocity



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Relationships, Guardian Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Lukadrienette Endgame, Multi, One-Sided Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Reveal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Precocity/pseuds/Precocity
Summary: Taking place around four years in the future, Marinette balances being Ladybug, the Guardian, and a university student along with some other things in her personal life.With Adrien gone to Hong Kong for two years, Ladybug has handed him the horse miraculous for the time being. Even so, Ladybug enlists the help of Viperion for extra support, and Luka starts to see through some things.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Tacit Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm new to the fandom and to publishing fics! I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> I expect this to be Luka-centric most of the time; only the future knows. Lukadrinette is the endgame but I know I'm a sucker for proper communication in relationships, so we'll see how it goes from there.

“Adrien Agreste, here is the miraculous of the Horse, which grants the power of teleportation. You will use it for the greater good.” The Guardian spoke, tone confident and decisive as she handed over the small box to her longtime partner. “Once you come back to stay in Paris again in two years, you will return it to me. Can I trust you, kitty?”

“Yes, my Lady.” Adrien nodded with a smile and the spotted hero grinned in return. The box felt heavier than it was in reality. The responsibility of being the holder of another miraculous for the time being weighed heavily on him, but after months of planning for it the time had come for his studies to take him to Hong Kong. “With Plagg in tow, I'll be just a call away when you need me. Kaalki will be perfect for it.”

Opening the box, a bright light shone from the accessory inside and the tiny kwami sparkled into existence around Adrien. “Oh, to whom– Ah! Plagg's boy, perfect! Will you be my holder today?”

Ladybug giggled and the horse kwami turned to her inquisitively. Instead, Adrien piped up. “Yes, Kaalki. Except, not just today. For... the foreseeable future.”

“And Plagg? He is not returning to the box, is he?” she floated around Adrien to find the cat kwami currently hiding in his bag on the couch.

“I'm not going anywhere.” Plagg sniffed with petulance, earning an exasperated sound from the blond as he knew where this was going. The last few years of being Plagg's holder had him ready for this spiel. “We could have just enjoyed the time away and explored new exotic cheeses, but _nooo_...”

“Come on, Plagg. You wouldn't want to leave Ladybug and Tikki to fend for themselves, would you? It'll be just like normal, except we'll have Kaalki take us to and fro each time.” Adrien chided, stealing a glance at Ladybug. Plagg responded with a defeated huff. Though Ladybug had needed to know his identity once she became the guardian, Adrien still didn't know who was under the red and black spotted mask. It wasn't that he hadn't been curious, or even frustrated by the lack of mutual knowledge at the beginning, but... Ladybug was insistent on it in a way that he knew not to push. 

That just meant that Adrien was able to be honest with Ladybug, and the honest truth was that he was more than a little nervous about leaving her in Paris alone, even if he had every plan to return at the first sign of trouble. “Unless– I should stay–?”

“Now, now, kitty.” Ladybug smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. Adrien felt his usual Chat Noir bravado slowly weakening. “I appreciate the concern, but we've been planning this for months. I trust you, with Kaalki. And I even trust _Plagg_ , for that matter. And if you don't think I have backup plans for my backup plans...”

Adrien laughed as Plagg scoffed indignantly, going back into his bag with Kaalki shortly joining him. “Well then, my lady. Thank you, I won't let you down. I'll be listening for those akuma alerts. Now, I should probably finish packing...”

With that, Ladybug thrust her hand out at Adrien, and they signed off with their signature fist bump before she yo-yo'd out of his window, leaving the blond watching the spotted red figure as she got smaller and smaller.

* * *

* * *

Finishing his last set with Kitty Section for the next few months (or even years), Luka felt a rush of acceptance, excitement, and wistfulness. There was a loud cheer from their little audience, friends having crammed themselves into the small practice space for their final hurrah. These past three years, Kitty Section had welcomed Adrien with open arms, making him one of their own. Now with him leaving within the next 24 hours, their band couldn’t see themselves continuing for the two years without him. Tonight had been an ode to their time together and a nice send off for their friend, drinks and snacks all laid out as they all wished Adrien a good trip.

With drink in hand and guitar on his back, Luka didn’t hesitate to hang his arm around Adrien for a side hug. He squeezed gently and the blond startled before grinning up at the guitarist, bringing his own cup to clink with Luka’s in a friendly manner. 

“Good luck out there, man.” Luka smiled, taking a sip from his drink and withdrawing his arm from Adrien’s shoulder. “Won’t be the same here without you.”

“Yeah, dude. We’ll miss ya!” Nino joined in, tearing himself away from his conversation with Kim and Alya.

“Oh guys... I _guess_ I’ll miss you, too.” Adrien rolled his eyes in mock nonchalance, the sincere smile giving away his true feelings. He barely held the facetious expression for a second before his eyes softened, his face warming with all of his friends' attention. “No really, I'll miss you guys. And Kitty Section, more than ever.”

“We’ll still be here when you come back.” Luka replied easily, going back to sitting down next to Juleka and Marinette. “It might be a little different to schedule, but I’m sure we’ll make it work.”

“Absolutely, Adrien!” Rose’s high-pitched voice reassured with Juleka nodding in agreement. Ivan gave him a thumbs up in solidarity while chewing on a snack.

“You guys are the best.” Adrien grinned, downing his drink in one final go.

“Yeah, yeah. We know, dude.” Nino laughed, bringing Adrien to sit where he’d been seated. “Now, who wants to witness 'DJ Wifi', huh?”

The group of friends became a mix of laughs and cheers as Nino took control of the music, and Marinette whispered something in Alya’s ear, drawing Luka’s attention to the mischievous sparkle in her bluebell eyes. Alya pushed Marinette away jokingly, a raised eyebrow aimed at her best friend while shaking her head. “No way.”

Leaning back in her seat, Marinette giggled at Alya’s expense. Then, noticing Luka’s inquisitive look towards her, she leaned closer to whisper in his ear, “Alya’s been crushing on Nino _hard_ , again. They were so good together! We should help them talk properly again.”

“ _Marinette_ , Nino was the one who called it off, remember?” Alya whispered forcefully, and Luka gave her an apologetic look.

“That was long-distance though, right?” he asked, glancing at the other party involved on the other side of the room, mixing beats with his portable MIDI controller. Alya nodded, forcing herself not to look over as well. “It wouldn't hurt to try... if that's what your heart wants. Just be honest.”

Alya gave a long, despondent sigh, choosing to take a swig from her own drink. Marinette pat her back gently, an 'I told you so' look in her eye as she allowed Luka's words to sink in.

“I hate that you're right.” Alya's tone differed from her outward grin and joking bump at Marinette's shoulder. “Okay. I guess I'll give 'DJ Wifi' a visit, then. Hm?”

“You got this!” Marinette gave the air a small fist pump with her free hand. “Tell me all about it~.”

Once Alya had gone, Marinette snuck a small thumbs up towards her for the final look back before leaning forward on her palm, watching the rest of her friends around with a smile. 

“I'm glad everyone got together for Adrien's last day.” She hummed, bluebell eyes on the handsome blond hanging out with Kim, Max, and Ivan.

“You did great with all of the planning, Marinette.” Luka smiled, leaning back on his arm as his gaze followed hers to the crowd a little ways away. “Anybody would be lucky to have something like this.”

“Thanks, Luka. Your set was amazing as always, too.” Marinette chuckled softly, a blush tinting her cheeks. Releasing a held breath, she forced herself to look away from Adrien, instead focusing on Luka happily. A smile spread across the guitarist's features. Luka felt a familiar warmth in his chest and faltered for a moment, hiding behind his cup nonchalantly as she continued, “How have you been, by the way? I feel like we haven’t talked much often.”

“Same old, same old.” Luka hummed softly, turning towards Marinette ever so slightly. His fingers tapped against his leg in a gentle rhythm, mimicking finger picking. It was like picking out a melody he could feel in the mood, the practiced fingers knowing intuitively which notes he was aiming for, even without his guitar in his hands. “I'm in between audio gigs at the moment, so I'm picking up extra delivery shifts every now and then. I've been working on some fun melodies, too. You?”

Marinette further leaned into her hand, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly as Luka's familiar calm washed over her. “Oh, you know. I'm always busy,” she chuckled, “I've been helping out at the bakery, helping Alya get settled into our apartment... Oh! Jagged asked me for some concept art recently again! That's been fun, getting back into graphic design. I heard that in one of these next classes this semester, they're offering an internship position at a handful of up-and-coming brands, so I'm aiming for that!”

“That's great! I'm sure you'll get it, Marinette. You're incredibly talented.”

“Thank you! I really hope so. Ah~ And how's Antoine?” She asked, sipping on her drink quietly with a happily curious look.

Luka blinked, teal eyes widening a fraction before letting out a soft chuckle. “He's doing well. With him going to culinary school in Florence though, I think our time will be up-.”

Marinette sputtered in shock, directing the couple next to them to look at the two inquisitively. “O-oh god, _I'm so sorry_ \- I didn't- _realize_ -! Are you okay?”

“ _Oh no_ , Marinette. Don't worry, I'm fine.” Juleka and Rose held concern in their eyes as Luka laughed a little more awkwardly by having Marinette worry for him. He waved them both off, having already caught up his sister on his life earlier anyways. It wasn’t supposed to have been a surprise nor a point of contention, but Luka wasn’t the best with words, even when being the most transparent he could be. With another chuckle, he pat Marinette's back gently while explaining, “Seriously. I'm completely fine. It was all casual. Just something that happened since we spent all the time together as roommates.”

“... _Oh_. W-well–! I'm glad then! Wait, I didn't m-mean that I _'m glad it's ov_ –!” Marinette rambled on, growing increasingly frantic. She kept putting her foot in her mouth, always being more than a little surprised by the relationships her friends had, especially when she hadn’t had any of those experiences herself. Increasing in pitch and panic, she continued trying to make sense until a finger was pressed against her lips, immediately stopping her as her cheeks flamed and she winced at Luka.

“I understand, Marinette.” Luka smiled, taking his finger away with a wink. Her wince calmed into a nervous grin as she scratched the back of her head, still sweating a little. “I appreciate how much you care. You really are extraordinary.”

With that, Marinette’s cheeks flared even more for a second before she was suddenly really interested in taking another sip of her drink and looking at one specific spot on the wall. “Well, if you’re looking for a roommate, I’m pretty sure Kim’s moving in with Ondine soon, and Max just got a pretty sweet deal with an AI tech company so Nino’ll be looking for roommates as well.”

“Really?” Luka looked back at ‘DJ Wifi’ and Alya again, now both of them hanging out with Adrien, Nino’s arm placed on Alya’s shoulder to rest there. “Maybe I’ll ask him later about that.”

“Now, come on Marinette. Let’s go say hi and dance with the man of the hour, hm?” Luka’s eyes twinkled in the lower light, and Marinette smiled as she took the offered hand.

* * *

* * *

Marinette glanced out her studio's window for possibly the dozenth time that day, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she watched an airplane fly through the sky.

“You think that one's the one Adrien's on?” Tikki's gentle voice rang as she hovered by the window, also watching the airplane go by.

“Maybe... He _did_ say he was leaving in the morning, so...” Marinette trailed off, the plane leaving her field of view.

“I’m sure everything will be alright.” Tiki reassured Marinette, giggling as her holder started to pet her gently. “You’ve thought this through a lot, and the last akuma attack was recent so Adrien, Plagg, and Kaalki should have plenty of time to settle in over there.”

Marinette sighed softly, “You’re right, Tikki. I’m just worried about things I may miss if I’m not always on the lookout. It’ll just be _me_ out there on patrol now.”

“Well, you have plenty of friends, Marinette.” Tikki flew to her wall of pictures she'd accumulated through the years. Many of the earlier pictures of Adrien were all taken from a long distance, some even curtesy of Alya. Though as the photos came to be newer, other faces showed up more than the former, Luka, Kagami, and even Chloe at times. 

A few images had group shots of their friend group; of Kitty Section; of her, Alya, and the girls. Adrien still showed up in the images, too, except Marinette was in them as well, increasingly more comfortable with the other as the time passed. Usually, Kagami was also involved in the pictures with Adrien, holding hands or having an arm around him at times. A final image of Kagami as they sent her off to Japan caught her eye, both Luka and Adrien with their instruments as they’d come straight from band practice.

Marinette thought back on their alter-egos, a smile beginning to form at the edges of her mouth. “That’s true... Maybe-”

“I’m home!” Alya called from the door, acting as Tikki’s cue to hide once again. The little pink blur flashed through the room quickly as Alya made her way in. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find a decent laundry basket. Like, do they expect people to inherit their parents’ ones or something?”

Marinette laughed from their makeshift studio space in their apartment living room, her desk being just in range for her to see said laundry basket being put down. “Well, at least that was the last thing you needed to buy, right?”

Getting up, she undid her little pincushion from her wrist and helped Alya with the other couple of groceries she had apparently picked up. Alya took the chance to place the basket in her room, continuing, “Yeah, until I remember I missed something else. Let me tell ya girl, just travelling with a bag-full of things was way easier than this.”

“I bet,” Marinette snickered, “but I do prefer that you’re my roomie now.”

“I mean, that’s obvious. I’m amazing. I can cook, clean, and am great company.” Alya smirked, peeking her head out and wagging her eyebrows. She disappeared just as quickly, only leaving her room once she'd ditched her jacket and put on some comfy clothes. “ _And_... I have some good gossip.”

Marinette gasped, quickly organizing the last of the groceries in the small pantry. She almost dropped a can of peaches, catching them at the last moment before rushing to her best friend's side. “About you and Nino?”

“ _Maybe_ ~? Guess who might have a date next week?”


End file.
